Method of preventing paraffin deposits in oil wells



vFeb. 64, 1945.

E. F. PRICE METHOD OF PREVENTING PARAFFIN DEPOSITS' IN OIL WELLS FiledJan. 30, 1942 ATTORNEYS.

' Patented Feb. 6, 1945 METHOD OF PREVENTING PARAFFIN DEPOSITS IN 01LWELLS Elmer rr-ice, Borger, Tex. Application January 30, 1942, SerialNo. 428,809

- In the operation of oil wells in paraffin territory," i. e., in fieldsyielding paraifin base oils, difllculties are invariably experienced inmaintaining a continuous delivery of oil at a constant rate due toclogging of the pump tubing of well known construction, its metallictubular casing being generally designated by the numer-' al I. .Asordinarily, the casing I extends above the ground level G, and is closedat the top by the wells through accumulation of paraflin therein. Infact it' is quite common for the paraflin to form in the inside of thetubing until scarcely sufficient clearance is left for the movement ofthe sucker or pump rods of the wells, so that ordinarily it is necessaryto' completely remove thetubing for cleaning sometimes as often as everythirty days. This isnot only a laborious, time-consuming and thereforeexpen-.

sive procedure, but entails idling of the wells over correspondinglyProtracted periods. Such parafiin accumulation I have found to resultfrom'the action of electric currents set up in the presence of magneticforces in and around the .wells, or through generation of electricity byfriction between the moving parts of the well pumping machinery.

My invention has for its aim to overcome the above drawbacks, that is tosay, to preclude formation of paraflin by electrical or magnetic actionso that a constant and uniform yield of oil from the wells may bemaintained at all times. This objective I realize in practice ashereinafter more fully disclosed, by insulating the various parts of thepumping apparatus from each other and the ground at such points a headin the form of a cap 2, which, in thisinstance, is threadedly connectedto said casing, see Fig. *2. Extending axially down through a centralopening in the cap 2 is a tube 3 through which the oil is drawn from thewell by means and in such. manner as to prevent the possibility ofelectric current flow earth.

In the attached drawing.

Fig. 1 is a broken out view partly in elevation and partly in section,of an oil well and the pumping unit associated therewith, suitablyarranged for the purposes of my-invention.

' Fig; 2 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale corresponding generallyto Fig. 1 and'showing to betteradvantage, important structural detailsat the upper portion of the well.

between them and the Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken asindicatedby the angled arrows IIIIII in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4- is a fragmentary detail view in the region of the coupling ofthe "sucker rod of the pumping unit with the connecting cables whichextend to'the head of the wallnn'gbeam of said unit; and .Fig. 5 is asectional view taken as indicated by the angled arrows V V in Fig. 4.

The well and the associated pumping unit herein illustrated forconvenience of exemplimy invention, generally speaking, is of of a pump5 at the bottom end of said tube. Extending laterally from the tube 3above ground is a pipe line 6 which may lead to any convenient disposal'for the pumped oil. The sucker rod 1 of the pumping unit passes througha stuiiing box 8 at the protruding top end of the tube 3 and passes downthrough the latter to the pump 5, likewise in the usual way. Clamped tothe upper end of the sucker rod Iis across head 5, which,'by means of apair of flexible members or cables III, is connected to the horse head.II on the counterbalanced walking beam I2 of is rocked through a pitmanIt by a crank II on a rotary shaft I8, which, through suitable speed"reduction" means (not illustrated), is driven by an enclosed motor I9.The cases accumulating in the well andin thecasing I are carried offthrough a valve controlled pipe 20 which leads laterally from saidcasing at a point slightly above the ground level G, see Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to adapt a well of the type briefly described above to thepurposes of my invention, I make provisions as follows: Clamped to thetube 3 at intervals of its length and preferably over the couplingswhich join its component sections, are split spacing collars 2| whereofthe component halves are connected by spring-rings 22 fitting intocircumferential grooves at opposite ends of said halves. Asconventionally indicated, the collars'ZI are fashioned from insulatingmaterial, preferably wood, to a diameter slightly less than the bore ofthe well casing I, seeFigs. 2 and 3, so that the gases may freely passup around them. By virtue 'of their position, the collars 2| serve tomaintain the tube 3 centralized in the well casing and also to preventmetallic contact between said tube and said well casing.

- To similarly prevent metallic contact between thesaid cap and the topend of said casing. The

sections of the oil delivery pipe i-are electrically.

isolated, one from the other,through interposition oi aminsulationgasket 21 between the flanges 28 .of the uniting coupling 29 and throughuse of insulation sleeves 3| and washers II in associationsuckerrodlandtheclampheadtlinterpose horse head ll of numpin unit- 13,.

From the foregoing it will be seen through the interposition ofinsulation at the various regions and in the manner shown-anddescribd, I

positively preclude the flow of electric current between the earth andthefparts' which constitute the well casing and the'puniping apparatus,and.

' .in this way effectively prevent the formation of an insulatingbushing I5 and apply an insulating washer 30 immediately above saidhead. To

insure against sllppageo! the clamp-head 9 on the rod 1, Iapply'immediately above the latter, a

supplemental split metallic clamp collar 39 of paraflin within the flowpassages so that's. constant and uniform delivery-of oil is maintainedatalltimes. 1

Having thus described myinvention', I claim: The nfethod ofpreventingparamn deposits inan oil well provided with iwell casing, anoil production tubing within said casing, and, a pump which the halvesbear directly against the rod.'

In addition a sleeve ll of insulation is appliedaroundtheupperendofthe'sucker rod 1 at theregion where it might contactwith the at the lower end oii'the" tubing, which comprises precludingthe flow of electric current between the pump and'tubing on the one handand the well casing and the ground on the other.=

ELMER F. PRICE:

the walking beam 12 of the r

